The X57, often referred to as the Snake, was a

bus route A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used i ...

that ran between

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

via

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...

History

The route was introduced on 25 October 2020 by

Hulleys of Baslow Hulleys of Baslow was an independent bus company based in Baslow, Derbyshire, England. History The origins of Hulleys can be traced back to 1914 when Henry Hulley purchased a Ford Model T and commenced running a taxi service based from Baslow ...

. In May 2021, the route was extended from Manchester Chorlton Street to

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2024, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passengers (the busiest outside of London) ...

. In September 2021, Hulley's announced plans to extend the route to

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

, however the planned extension was cancelled due to driver shortages. The service was eventually withdrawn due to low passenger numbers. The final day of operation of the X57 was 9 January 2022. Hulleys' 257, which ran parallel to the X57 between Sheffield and

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known for Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye, 15 miles (23 km) south-west of Sheffield. It is the largest se ...

via the

Ladybower Reservoir Ladybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped, artificial reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through ...

, was increased to an hourly frequency with a £1 flat fare as a partial replacement of the route.

Route

The bus ran on the

A57 road The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, England, Lincoln via Warrington, Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford and Manchester, and then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass (between the high moorlands of ...

through the

Snake Pass Snake Pass is a hill pass in the Derbyshire section of the Peak District, crossing the Pennines between Glossop and the Ladybower Reservoir at Ashopton. The pass carries the A57 road between Manchester and Sheffield, but it is no longer the ...

. The bus called at the following stops: *

Sheffield Interchange Sheffield Interchange is the main bus station in central Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The facility is served by buses operating across the Sheffield region, as well as National Express coaches that connect Sheffield with destinations ac ...

* Crosspool * Ladybower Inn (for

) * Bamford railway station (Sundays only) * Fairholmes Visitor Centre (for Ladybower Reservoir, Sundays only) * Snake Inn *

Hollingworth Hollingworth is a village in the Tameside district, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about 11 miles (19 km) east of Manchester, on the Derbyshire border near Hadfield. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and ...

Chorlton Street * Manchester Oxford Road * University of Manchester Students' Union *

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

Fallowfield Fallowfield is a bustling area of Manchester with a population of 14,869 at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east&n ...

Owens Park *

The X57 was supplemented by the X56 which operated between Glossop and Manchester only on the same route. This route was withdrawn in 2021.

References

{{Transport in Greater Manchester Bus routes in Greater Manchester Bus routes in England 2020 establishments in England 2022 disestablishments in England